Be a Helper.You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to help out your fellow citizen. Kindness cannot be overused. Any opportunity you have to be helpful or kind, slather it on lavishly!

Eat Politely. Whether you brought your lunch or you’re eating out with friends, everyone appreciates good table manners. Practice what your parents (should have) taught you. Keep your elbows off the table, don’t talk with your mouth full, and avoid reaching across people to grab the salt shaker. Formal dinners have more etiquette rules, so if you’ll be going to one of those, take a little time to brush up on what’s expected.

Be Friendly and Polite. If you step outside your house during the day, you’re likely to encounter people, so try to be friendly. Even on miserable days when everything seems to be going wrong, forcing a smile has the potential to lift the mood of not only the person you’re looking at but yours as well. Offer a greeting, and you might even see an extra ray of sunshine. Certain words carry a tremendous amount of power when you care enough to be polite and civil to others. Add “please,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” and “excuse me” to your vocabulary, and you may find others responding with reciprocated kindness.